


Botanical Support

by G_the_G



Series: Avengers University [9]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Beardy Professor Steve Rogers, Botanist Bruce Banner, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Grad Student Darcy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 07:49:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10658133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/G_the_G/pseuds/G_the_G
Summary: Steve is trying to avoid facing his fate, looking for support. He comes up shorter than he hoped.





	Botanical Support

Steve popped his head round the door, glad to see that his target was there. That made things a whole lot easier. He knocked on the door and the sound unsurprisingly startled the man out of whatever research he’d been focusing on. 

“Hey Bruce, you got a couple minutes?”

“Hey! Sure, sure,” he said waving him in as he took off his glasses to clean them.

As Steve came closer, he couldn’t help a laugh and pointed at the ever-present leaves in his friend’s hair. “You’re looking a little green there.”

Bruce’s hands went up to his hair and he rolled his eyes when he felt the intruders.

“Of course. I went to check on my plants in the greenhouse earlier. I’ve been walking around like this for at least two hours.”

“The dangerous life a botanist lives.”

“Laugh it up, museum boy,” he muttered as he ran his fingers through his soft curls, ensuring he hadn’t missed any stragglers. “What brings you down here anyway?”

“National frisbee tournament is next week.”

Before he had even finished his sentence, his friend was shaking his head. “There’s no way I’m going to that. You know I only play when my stress-levels reach armaggeddon levels. Besides, I thought you weren’t going.”

“Fury found out that Pierce University is actually participating this year and was surprisingly invested in making sure we kick their ass. Hill gave me a lone TA to get my grading done and make sure I could go to do said ass-kicking.”

“I’m less surprised than you are. But I’m still not going.”

“Not asking you to. I just want you to come out for practice. Your freakish abilities are a good way to shake things up and get us ready.” He made the suggestion in a non-committal tone, hoping his casualness might ease any hesitance his friend had.  

“Eh, I’ll think about it.”

Steve held his hands up, palms out in surrender and acknowledgement. “It’s all I can ask.” But having gotten his answer, he still lingered poking at plants and equipment as his friend went back to the papers in front of him. “You hear about the party for the visiting professor tomorrow?”

“Oh, yeah,” Bruce mumbled, pulling himself out of his studies again. “I wanted to go to that. Loki Odinson has some really interesting research with gamma radiation that I’m curious about.”

“Odinson, like his brother?”

“Adopted...I think? I don’t know. It’s weird and I never bothered trying to find out who all was who. I just care about the research.”

That sounded about right. But then Steve remembered how he phrased the comment.  “But you’re not going?”

“Can’t. Got a dinner with Betty and her father.”

“Sounds like a barrel of laughs,” Steve muttered in solidarity for the excruciating evening he knew his friend had ahead of him.

Bruce sighed, taking his glasses off to clean them on his shirt again, despite the fact that there was no way they could have gotten dirty already. “I just wish he’d figure out sooner than later that there’s no way I’m going private sector and big pharma.”

“Not good for your stress levels, right?” Steve asked with a grin.

“No. But lucky for you I might be up for some ultimate after all.” They shared a laugh, no doubt remembering how every year around holidays Bruce would show up to play some frisbee, having to deal with Dr. Thaddeus T. Ross and his aggressive sales pitches yet again. But then Bruce went quiet with a tilt to his head. “Why are you bringing up that party? Never known you to get involved with astrophysics.”

Steve winced. There was no point in beating around the bush. No matter how out of touch he could be, Bruce would eventually find out. “Natasha.”

After a quick guffaw, his friend gave him a pat on the back in mocking support, and he stumbled a bit, always surprised at the strength the wiry man held.  

“Who's the lucky girl?”

Steve deflated and let out a sigh, tucking his hands in his pockets as he leaned against a nearby desk. “It's... complicated. But Nat got Fury to send out that campus e-mail about how all faculty should support these international relationships with other universities. So I'll look like a tool if I don't go.”

“Do you want an excuse? I could cause a lab accident and make it so you need to go to the ER.” 

“Yeah. I'll pass.” 

“Suit yourself.” There was a quiet moment, but as Steve hadn’t left, Bruce asked the next question on his mind. “Tell me about this girl. This sounds like a lot of effort, even for Nat.”

Steve hesitated and then shrugged. “Why not, it's only a matter of time before the redheaded Cyrano tries to bring you in on it. Her name is Darcy.”

When he paused, a hum encouraged him to further his description. The lab space had always been a safe place, somewhere he didn’t have to worry about Nat or Bucky taking his words and running with them. And before he knew it, the words were coming faster and easier than he’d thought they might. Words that he’d been trying to keep himself from even thinking, let alone speaking. “I... She's got a mind that sees things in a way I never even thought of. Half the time she challenges my opinions just to figure out why I have them. She has a habit of saying exactly what I was thinking but couldn't say and she has this laugh that rings out at some of the most random things.”

“And with all these sterling qualities, she is gorgeous too no doubt.”

The only response he gave was a grin that he hoped wasn’t as dopey as he felt. 

“And you say it's complicated?” 

The smile left Steve’s face and his shoulders slumped. “Very. And I made a fool of myself already. Which was a doubly stupid thing to do. Because: complicated.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Bucky was there to witness it too, and was an ass about it. So I really want some extra buffer with both him and Nat going to that party.”

“I don’t know. You sure you’re not making it more complicated than it needs to be?”

He pushed himself off the desk to stand straight and scratch the back of his neck. “Yes. I had a lapse in judgement. She caught me by surprise and I reacted naturally and I really shouldn’t have. This is just a thing right now. It’ll pass and then I’ll feel like dumbass.”

“Let me guess. She showed up somewhere looking attractive, you flirted, Bucky caught you, and now you’re being stupid.”

“Did he tell you that?”

Bruce snorted.  “No, but it sounded like something you’d do.” At the glare his comment received, he held up his hands in surrender. “Don’t ask for my opinion if you don’t want it."

Steve rolled his eyes and turned to leave, but  his friend kept talking, and he turned back, sure he wasn't going to like what he heard next.

"If you  _ did  _ ask, I’d tell you that if you’re already this worked up over it, it’s not something that’s just gonna pass. You’re invested at this point, and if Nat and Bucky approve, I’m inclined to say go for it.”

“You’re just as bad as them,” Steve groaned, rubbing his hand through his beard. “I’ll just go since you’re no help.”

His friend shrugged, clearly having accepted the fate that Steve was fighting.  “Have fun with Nat, then. She loves the tricky cases.” 

“This isn’t a  _ case _ . It’s nothing.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” With a shake of his head, Bruce added, “sometimes I'm very glad I was smart enough to find my own wife before I met Natasha. Unlike you.”

“Thanks,” he grumbled heading towards the door.

“Any time. Don’t be a dumbass!” Bruce called after him.

He merely held up one finger as he made his way out. A gesture that was becoming a habit with his friends lately.


End file.
